Our Perfect Little Bliss
by SweetsPrincess-Sama
Summary: This Is A Series Of One-shots Of Kashigo.
1. A Feeling Of Love

_Our Perfect Little Bliss_

_A/N:_

_Me: Konnichiwa, minna-san. So, I decided I wasn't really happpy with Untwisting Love and I really just wanted to move onto a set on one shots about Kashino and Ichigo when they're older and get married or have kids, so, that's what I'm doing, please enjoy. Oi, who's doing the disclaimer?_

_Ichigo: Hai! Sweets-Chan does not own YP, only her OC's and the story lines._

* * *

A Feeling Of Love

Arata: 14  
Aoi: 10  
Mizu: 8  
Amiya: 4

"Arata, Aoi, Mizu, time for dinner." Ichigo shouted up the stairs. All three siblings rushed out of their rooms, bowled past their Father who held their baby sister in his arms, and ran down the stairs, making quite a racket. They reached the kitchen table in record time just as their Father came down the last few steps.

"Ichigo, I think we need to teach these kids some manners." Kashino sighed, setting Amiya down so that she could run to her Mother. Ichigo picked up Amiya and set her in her high chair.

"Mhm," She agreed. "You children are too noisy. No wonder Amiya's sleeping patterns are out of it, and not to mention mine or your Father's." Ichigo said.

"Mama, mama, can we just eat. To much serious talk and I'll tune out." Mizu complained. Ichigo looked at Kashino and shrugged.

"Fine." Ichigo and Kashino sat down next to each other and the whole table said in unison, 'Itadakimasu' Even little Amiya said it. They ate their dinner amongst snips and snaps of chatter, although Arata remained silent throughout the whole meal.

"Mama, mama," Aoi protested, cutting Ichigo off from Kashino.

"Yes Honey?" Ichigo smiled at her child.

"Can you tell us how you and dad fell in love?" None of her children had ever asked before so it took Ichigo by surprise.

"Umm, sure. But why now?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh, no reason. I just really want to know." Her Mother shot her a quizical look but nodded slowly.

"Hai, hai. Makoto, you're a much better story teller than me, plus I want to hear what you thought of me so, you tell them." Ichigo smiled. Kashino hesitated.

"Ichigo..." She kissed her husband's cheek.

"Please?" She shot him her puppy dog eyes that he could never resist. He blushed slightly, rubbed the back of his head with his hand, and muttered.

"I guess so." Mizu, Aoi and Ichigo cheered, and Arata finally decided to tune in.

"Why are we cheering?" He asked.

"Dad's going to tell us how he and mama fell in love." Aoi smiled. Arata nodded.

"Well, um, as you know, your Mother entered St. Marie's a year after I did," Kashino started. "She was clumsy, she was a klutz, and she was horrible at cooking. Everyone wondered how she'd gotten into the school. She worked alongside our dear friends, Hanabusa and Andou, and of course, me, and gradually, with our help, she became better. I guess she'd always had it in there somewhere, she just needed someone to bring it out for her,"

Kashino smiled at his wife and she smiled back. "I guess, looking back at it now, I was really harsh on your Mother, I often found myself yelling at her, but then again, I also always found myself worrying about her. I would fret over any little thing that happened to her and make a big deal out of it. You know, the funny thing is, before I knew myself that I was in love with your Mother, the school nurse knew, Hanabusa knew, Andou knew, Henri-sensei knew, pretty much everyone that was close to me knew, and I didn't even know myself."

"I don't know if I've told you, but in my first year of St. Marie's, a girl named Koshiro Miya, otherwise known as Oujou, started to follow me around and tell me she was in love with me. She'd make me sweets on every ocassion and I'd point out every flaw, the stupid girl thought she could win everthing with money. And then I realized that the only other girl who ever made me food had talent. I could feel the emotions in your Mother's cooking, no matter how weird the flavour idea was, I always knew what she was trying to get through and eventually, I realized that I loved her, I really, really loved her. The day before we moved to London, we had our first kiss under a series of, well, rather weird circumstances including Oujou and we moved to London to open our shop. I guess really, for the bitter person I was, I was extremely lucky to find your Mother, and I was even luckier that she decided to spend the rest of her life with me."

He scratched his head again. "Too much?" He asked. Ichigo had tears in her eyes. "Ichigo?"

"No, no," Ichigo said, dabbing at her eyes. "It was sweet."

"You're such a crybaby." Kashino teased, pulling her forward onto his lap. The kids all jumped up, Mizu taking Amiya, and said.

"We have homework!" Before running out of the room. Ichigo smiled down at Kashino.

"I guess they won't disturb us for a while now." She said sweetly, leaning forward to kiss her husband. He smiled as well and leaned into the kiss.

"I guess you're right." "Hey, Makoto?" Ichigo said, leaning back a bit. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked, trying to figure out what she meant.

"For falling in love with me."

* * *

_Me: Hai, hai. Chapter one, over. Please R&amp;R. Ichigo, did you like it?_

_Ichigo: Mm, it was so sweet._

_Kashino: It was alright, I guess._

_Mizu: Daddy?_

_Kashino: Yes Mizu?_

_Mizu: Are you and mama done being lovey-dovey now?_

_Kashino And Ichigo: *Blush*_

_Me: Well, see you soon. Thanks for reading._

_Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama_


	2. It's Just A Little Trick

Our Perfect Little Bliss

It's Just A Little Trick

"What's my name?" A stern-voiced brunette demanded.

"Strawberry?" He blonde-haired boyfriend replied in English.

"No! Who are you, Johnny? What's. My. Name?"

"Amano." The brunette sighed in frustration. How long did you have to be going out with someone for them to call you by your first name? In their case, apparently more than six weeks.

"Mou, Makoto, why is this so hard for you?" But her boyfriend had a cheeky smile plastered on his face.

"Oh, it's not." He replied. Ichigo looked at him expectantly, her hands propped prominently on her hips. He smiled wider, stood from his chair, and kissed her sweetly.

"Special occasions Special occasions only," He whispered in her ear. "Now come on," He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the empty classroom, heading towards the kitchens. "I believe we have a class to attend."

* * *

After being dragged into their kitchen classroom, Ichigo flopped down onto her stool at the table. As usual, she was surrounded by the three sweets princes', and as usual, they were bickering about what to bake.

"Something traditional." Andou protested, but he was cut off by Hanabusa's laughter.

"No way. Something sweet and delicate, framed with an array of roses." Kashino sighed and shook his head.

"Something bitter and made of chocolate." They went silent and all eyes went to Ichigo. Their assignment was due in three days; they were to bake a wedding cake, three tiered, any flavour and design they wanted, but sadly, it wasn't going to be a matter of just choosing one thing.

"Why are you looking at me?" She asked curiously. Andou and Hanabusa looked expectantly at Kashino and he let out a breath.  
"Come on, help out. Your good at making us agree on things. Please." He said softly, pulling her off of her stool by her hand to come stand beside him. She sighed and looked at the smiling boys.

"Fine." She agreed, feeling Kashino squeeze her hand in thanks.

* * *

To be honest, Ichigo didn't mind being asked to help. In fact, she was thrilled. Usually, the decisions were made for the flavour and decorations before she could have much say in it and she simply went along with whatever had been chosen, because, after all, whatever it was, it was a sweet, and she loved sweets. She and Kashino sat in his dorm room on his bed, Hanabusa was nowhere to be found.

"What do you propose we do? The guys dumped it all on us, those meanies." Ichigo said, holding the pencil to her mouth. Kashino laughed.

"What?" Ichigo demanded, looking at her boyfriend.

"Nothing, nothing. Just that your taste in words hasn't changed since I met you." He smiled. Ichigo pouted. "Come on, pull your lip up. Someone's going to trip over it if you don't." He said, pecking her lips softly.

"Ah! I've got it." She said excitedly against his lips. He pulled away, watching her curiously.

"I didn't realize that would help, I should've done it sooner." He teased. But she was busy scribbling a design down. He watched her intetnly as she scribbled away, a cake starting to form on the blank white paper of her sketchbook. She stopped drawing to look up at him and clutched the book to her chest.

"No looking." She teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"Fine, fine. Want me to finish your French homework?" He asked, pointing to her bag that lay on the floor beside the bed.

"How do you know I haven't done it already?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Because I know you. And if you have finished it, I'll probably faint." He mocked, grabbing her French textbook out of her bag.

"Meanie." She grumbled.

"Who's doing your homework?" He reminded her, sitting down at his desk. She laughed nervously.

"Sorry, I love you." She smiled, returning to her sketch.

"I love you too."

* * *

"It's done!" Ichigo exclaimed half an hour later, flicking her pencil at Kashino's head. He seemed to have dozed off, but now he sat bolt upright.

"What's done?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"My cake design, silly. And hopefully my French homework, that's due monday morning you know." She reminded him. He shook his head and held his hand out.

"Well, show me the design, miss demanding Princess." He said. She walked over to him and sat on his lap, opening her sketchbook. He flung his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, peering over her shoulder to see the design.

"Hmmmm," He mumbled, looking at the intense detail. "Well, explain away." He suggested. She pointed to the bottom tier first.

"Well," She began. "I kept the flavours simple, just vanilla for the tiers and white icing. The bottom tier has little traditional sweets made of mascarpone around it in a sort of ring." She explained.

"Andou?" Kashino asked. Ichigo giggled.

"I thought you might figure it out," She smiled. Then she pointed to the second tier. Little mascarpone roses sat on vines around the middle section of the cake.

"Rose boy?"

"Correct." And then she pointed to the top tier, where the bride and groom figures would usually stand. Instead, it seemed to have a ring of sliced strawberries in the middle with a gap in the very centre of the ring.  
A chocolate sculpture of swirls extended out of the gap in the middle of the ring of strawberries and Kashino smiled.

"Me and you. Chocolate and strawberries." He said, kissing her forehead.

"Is it a bit weird?" She asked seriously.

"No. I think it's perfect. You've captured us all very well; a contrast of complication, similarities and just a touch of simplicity. Good job." He smiled again, kissing her nose. She giggled.

"Thanks," She checked the clock on Kashino's desk. _11:49 pm_. Hanabusa, oddly, was still nowhere to be found.

"He's probably sleeping next to Rumi." Kashino said, reading her mind word for word. Ichigo smiled sleepily.

"Probably," She curled in against his chest.

"Would it be okay if I slept in here tonight? I don't feel like crossing half the school to get to my dorm room." Kashino knew it wasn't that far, but he didn't complain.

"Of course," He said. She stood up and crawled into his bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. He got in after her and she snuggled up close to him.

"I love you, Makoto." She whispered against his shoulder.

"I love you too."

* * *

Yawning, Ichigo covered her mouth so as not to wake Kashino who was sleeping soundly beside her. She stared at him, smiling. _He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, so relaxed, so much cuter_, Ichigo thought. She looked over to Hanabusa's side of the room and found him sleeping peacefully. And then she remembered that it was Saturday, and that she had booked the kitchen for them to start practising the cake. She jumped to her feet, knocking Kashino to the floor in the process. He groaned and rubbed his head. She grabbed a pillow and went over to Hanabusa's side of the room, whacking him in the head with it.

"Get up! Get up! Get up!" She yelled at him. "Hanabusa!" Hanabusa's eyes opened wearily.

"Ichigo-chan? Why are you in my...Oh, right. Why are you whacking me? I need my beauty sleep." He grumbled, burying his face into his rose-patterned pillow.

"Rose boy's right, what's with all the theatrics?" Kashino's voice spoke up from where he began holding onto his bed frame to drag himself up from the floor.

"We have cooking to do. Now would someone like to go wake Andou-kun? Or am I going to have to do that too?" Ichigo asked, looking between the two, smiling sweetly. Hanabusa groaned and got to his feet.

"I'll do it." He said, walking out of the room.

"Thought so." Ichigo said cherrily, linking arms with Kashino. "Let's go." She smiled. Kashino quirked his eyebrow at her.

"I have to get dressed." Ichigo looked at him, up and down.

"But you slept in your uniform, you are dressed." She stated. Kashino laughed and pushed her towards the open door.

"I'm changing, you should too." He smiled. And before she could protest, the door shut in her face.

Ten minutes later, and the three sweets princes' sat in the kitchens, waiting for Ichigo. She walked in and they all stared. She looked beautiful in her strapless pink sun dress. It had pink lace sheets above a brown buckle belt and was the colour of candyfloss. Her pink jandals matched the dress perfectly. Before Hanabusa could make one of his sugar-coated remarks, Kashino got up and kissed her cheek.

"You look beautiful," He whispered in her ear. She giggled as he led her to the counter.

"You need to feel pretty to make something pretty, that's what my mother used to say." She replied, putting her sketchbook down on the table top, flipped open to the page where the wedding cake was sketched. The boy's marveled around it as Ichigo explained her design. When she had finished, they all smiled brightly at her.

"It's perfect, Ichigo-chan." Hanabusa said, handing her a rose out of nowhere. _How on earth does he do that?,_ Ichigo thought to herself. She laughed and said her thanks. Andou looked at her.

"This cake is us, isn't it?" He smiled softly. Ichigo nodded, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Yeah. I figured that way, everyone would have their little bit included in the cake without having an argument. Do you guys...Like it?" They all nodded eagerly.

"Like it? We love it! It's perfect, Amano-san." Andou said.

"Hurray, hurray for team Ichigo!" Hanabusa cheered. It seemed like another adventure was about to unfold.

* * *

"And the winning team is...," The students sat in silence, eagerly awaiting their answer. Team Ichigo had been up late last night, perfecting their cake. Ichigo sat with her hand intertwined in Kashino's, squeezing it tightly, hoping for the win. Kashino winced, poking her thigh.

"Iron...Clad...Grip." He murmured. Ichigo seemed to understand and loosen her hold on his hand.

"Sorry." She smiled, chuckling quietly.

"Team A!" Everyone began clapping and cheering, a few people yelling for a taste test. The teacher agreed and everyone began to dig in and one boy perked up.

"Why does this taste so good, Amano?" He asked, shoving more into his mouth. Ichigo smiled around at her three friends.

"Probably because it was made with love." She giggled. The rest of the class stopped to marvel as the group hugged and laughed. They had won the bake off.

* * *

"Honey, don't you want to do anything to celebrate?" Kashino asked as Ichigo pranced around her room, discarding clothes she didn't like onto her bed. He plucked a skirt off his head as she smiled.

"Of course, silly. That's why I'm finding the perfect outfit." She said matter-of-factly. He watched her go through the rest of her closet until she came to the very back. She squealed and then turned to face him, fanning her hands out so that he couldn't see behind her.

"What's wrong?" He asked cautiously; but she was smiling. She closed her closet and grabbed his hand.

"Meet me at the lake in ten minutes, okay." She smiled, kissing his nose. He nodded, curious, but he knew her well enough to know not to ask. She shooed him out of the room and giggled as she closed the door.

"Just you wait, Makoto."

* * *

He waited underneath the tree, _their_ tree, for Ichigo. It was cold and crisp, the lake a crystal blue and he watched the trees billow in the wind.

"Close your eyes."He heard Ichigo's voice call from behind him. Quietly, he obeyed and covered his eyes with his hands. A few moments later, he felt his hands being pried from his eyes and he looked up at his girlfriend, his eyes wide.

"W...Woah." He marveled. She wore a strapless pink dress that fell just above her knees and she had matching pink high heels on her feet. Her hair was loose and waving down her back in long, thick chocolate curls. She blushed and laughed nervously.

"Is... Is it too much? She asked quietly.

"No.. No. You look... amazing." He blushed as she sat beside him.

"Hey, you're gonna get your dress dirty." He whispered. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Doesn't matter, I'll wash it later." She said, staring out at the lake. They were silent for a few minutes.

"I'm guessing you chose our tree for a reason?" He asked, slipping his arm around her shoulder. She laughed.

"I've been waiting for something for a while now," She began. "Something only you can do." He looked at her small figure. He was so happy that she had chosen him, that she was his, so happy that he would marry her right then and now.

"I think I understand what you're getting at," He smiled to himself, using his free hand to turn her face towards him. "I love you, _Ichigo._" He whispered, his breath tickling her nose as he leaned in to kiss her. She smiled against his lips. That was exactly what she'd hoped for. Her perfect little moment.

* * *

_Thank you guys so much for reading. I did update this because I really didn't like Kashino calling Ichigo 'baby', so I took that bit out. Anyway, thanks for your support and please R&amp;R_

Xx SweetsPrincess-sama


	3. Countdown To New Years

Our Perfect Little Bliss

Countdown To New Years

Amano Ichigo. A girl with a bright, bubbly and seemingly over enthusiastic personality. A girl who brings a smile to each and every person she passes upon in life, whether they be bitter or as energetic as she, she always seems to work a little magic on them. But there is one person who she has changed dramatically. Her best friend, Kashino Makoto. Once cold and sharp as ice, her best friend had found inner peace. He was still a little touchy, but it didn't matter to her. He was happier, and that was all that mattered. Presently, they sat together on a big, comfy sofa; watching people dance and sing at the high school's pre-new-year party. Ichigo longed to go enjoy herself with Kashino, but he protested that he wasn't moving from his current position. And Ichigo didn't want him to be left alone on New Years, so she stayed by his side. They watched Hanabusa expertly twirl Rumi around and Andou and Kana smiling and laughing in the corner of the room.

"Show offs." The two on the couch whispered quietly. They spun their heads to face each other, laughing as they went.

"You want some punch?" Ichigo asked, smiling brightly. Kashino nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." She stood up and headed into the kitchen, in search of the punch bowl. Finding it and pouring two drinks, Ichigo headed back to the couch. She handed a drink to Kashino and he smiled softly.

"Thanks." He said again.

"No problem," She said, crossing her legs under her and taking a sip of the punch. It tasted... strange. She choked on her drink and coughed violently.

"Amano?" Kashino stuttered, his paper cup faltering in front of his lips. She held a hand up towards Kashino and coughed a few more times into her other elbow before placing the drink on the ground and laying back on the couch so that her head hit the cushions.

"Someone... Spiked... The punch," She slurred, getting over her coughing fit.

"You can tell?" Kashino asked, surprised.

"Mum loved her wine," Ichigo sighed, throwing an arm over her face. "I have an expert smell but tasting is a first, a horrible horrible first. It burns," She complained and Kashino laughed, taking a sip. Then he began to cough.

"You're right," He half laughed, half coughed. "It burns like hell," Ichigo took her arm off of her face, watching him curiously.

"Why would you do that? I told you it would burn but yet you still drank some,"

"I couldn't let you suffer alone," He grinned and her heart skipped a beat.

"You're an idiot," She murmured, hitting his chest lightly.

"A smart, patient, good-looking idiot," He smiled, his eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that blondie." Ichigo said, trying to hide the grin forcing its way onto her face.

"_Blondie_, oh, it's on ms. bubbly, non-alcoholic, weirdo," He poked his tongue out, placing his drink on the floor before lunging at Ichigo. He tickled her sides and she yelped and squealed. Finally, he let her rest and pulled his hands back as if he'd been burned.

"Sorry," He murmured, hanging his head. Ichigo didn't get it. Why was he apologising?

"What... What for?" She asked. In the background, she could hear all her friends counting down the last ten seconds of the year.

_"TEN! NINE! EIGHT!," _Kashino raised his hand once again and placed it on her cheek, his thumb rubbing over her rosy cheek. _"SEVEN! SIX! FIVE!," _ He leaned closer, his forehead resting against her's as her breathing hitched.

"Ichigo," He whispered quietly.

_"FOUR! THREE! TWO!," _

"I love you,"

_"ONE!" _ And with that, he closed the gap between them, his lips locking over her's, his eyes closed tight as he brought his other hand up to grab her waist, pulling her towards him and onto his lap. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut and she could hear cheering in the background, her friend's complete obliviousness to her insanely perfect little moment. She pulled away slowly and looked straight into his eyes.

"Happy New Years, Makoto."

* * *

_Hi Hi! So, I'm sorry this is quite short but I promise I'll put up a longer one the next time I post. I'm really sorry that it took me so long to post this and I will try and put all my extra time into this story. But all in all, I hope you enjoy it and please R&amp;R, that would be great._

_Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama_


	4. A Dance Of Stars

Our Perfect Little Bliss

A Dance Of Stars

"Ichigo-chan! You won't believe what I found out this morning." Rumi exclaimed, sitting on the bed next to Ichigo in their dorm room. It was a cold, bitter night and Ichigo was studying hard, with a lot of pressure from Kashino to get it done.

"Hmm?" She mumbled, not looking up from her French book. "What's that?"

"Well...There's going to be a dance tomorrow night! Our first school dance, Ichigo-chan!" With that, Ichigo's book snapped shut and her head flew up, her eyes glimmering in joy.

"No way!" She yelled in pure excitment.

"Yes way! I saw it on the notice board this morning; you were too busy with Kashino to notice. It's also girl's choice." Rumi added cheekily.

"Really? Who are you asking then, Rumi-chan?" Ichigo asked curiously. Rumi shifted awkwardly.

"Well... I was thinking about asking, you know... Hanabusa-kun..." She said quietly. Ichigo laughed.

"I'm sure he'll say yes. He's had his eye on you forever."

"You think so?" Rumi asked in hope.

"Trust me," Ichigo smiled cheerfully. "I'm his best friend." Rumi smiled back.

"True." Ichigo stood up and began twirling around the room.

"I just love dances, don't you, Rumi-chan?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, I do. But if you love them so much, who will you ask?" Rumi smiled, joining her friend in twirling. Obviously, she'd say Kashino.

"Hmm? I don't need a partner, do I? I can just go with you guys, can't I?" Ichigo stopped twirling.

"I'm not sure, you really do need a partner for this dance. How about Kashino-kun?" Rumi noticed Ichigo's eyes dull a little bit.

"No way," She joked, trying to be cheerful. "Kashino would never go to a dance, silly Rumi."

"But you want him to, don't you?" She asked quietly.

"Nope...Maybe...Possibly...Okay, yes. But he'll never come and that's fine with me, I'd rather just go with everyone." She said, as convincingly as she could.

"I-chi-go-chan. You need to ask him. I mean, come on, anyone can see that you really like him. Just ask, there's no harm in it. Or do you want me to ask for you?"

"No!" Ichigo yelped quickly. "Fine, I'll try. And, Rumi,"

"Hmm?"

"I don't like Kashino." Ichigo said, turning out her lamp and snuggling under her blankets, after putting away her textbooks. Rumi got into her own bed and laughed.

"Yeah, sure. If you say so."

* * *

"Ah, Kashino?" Ichigo murmured, rolling her dough around in the flour just to avoid his eyes. It was early Saturday morning and the two were practising alone in the kitchens, Kashino working on the bench in front of her.

"What?" He snapped, dragging the tip of a spoon through his freshly tempered chocolate and raising it, watching the chocolate drip down into the bowl. Ichigo opened her mouth and then choked on her words.

"Uh... It's nothing,"

"It's something. Spit it out." He said sternly, dropping the spoon back into the bowl of chocolate. Ichigo's hands stopped rolling the dough and she kept her eyes glued to the bench. He could always see right through her, so easily.

"I was just wondering," She ventured, finally finding the will to look into his tired eyes. "If you, um," Her eyes wavered and she looked back down. "Wanted to go to the... School dance with me?" She asked quietly.  
She looked up at him through her lashes and found that his eyes were wide. But only for a second. He coughed and scratched his head, quickly picking up his spoon and running it through the chocolate again.

"I'm not really a dancing person,"

"I know," Somehow, she'd found a little more confidence. She really wanted to go to that dance with him, no matter what. "I don't mind. I just want to go to it... With you,"

"Well, fine, if you insist. But I am not dancing, no way." Her head shot up and a blush coated her cheeks.

"Really? You'll come?!" She asked incredulously. She was so happy. He nodded slowly, leaning over the bench to flick her forehead.

"I just said yes, didn't I?"

"But you'd be _my date_," Ichigo pointed out as he pulled back. He watched her, a smug smirk pulling at the edge of his lips.

"That's fine by me. Is it going to be a problem for you?" He smirked fully now as her cheeks lit up like a wildfire.

"N..No, of course not. I knew that when I was asking you." She stated, putting the dough in the freezer to bake later. When she went back to her bench, Kashino was leaning against it, his eyes glimmering.

"What?" She blinked. He put his hands on the bench and, before she could register what was going to happen, a fistful of left over flour was flung at her face. She squealed and grabbed her own pile, chucking it at Kashino. After a few more throws, Ichigo poised her hand, ready to throw, and Kashino caught her wrist. Her mouth fell open a little and she stared straight into his eyes. And he stared back. She took a small step forward as the door flung open and the two sprung apart.

"I thought we'd find you two in here...," Andou trailed off, looking between the two.

"Why are you all covered in flour?" Hanabusa asked, stepping forward as Andou closed the door. Ichigo looked towards Kashino and his eyes met her's, a small smile gracing his features. She smiled back.

"No reason," They chorused together.

"You two are weird," Hanabusa muttered, moving to come and start working on the bench next door to their's. Andou took his place across from Hanabusa and shot the two a small smile.

"I, uh, have to go get cleaned up," Ichigo stammered, ruffling Kashino's hair and mouthing 'thanks' before running out of the kitchens and out into the open. She ran all the way back to her dorm room, smiling delightedly.

* * *

"Rumi!" Ichigo squealed, flinging the door to her dorm room open and then closing it hastily once she was inside. Rumi sat at her desk, surrounded by unfinished homework, and looked up when Ichigo entered, her eyebrows raising.

"What's up? You're even more giddy than usual." She pointed out. Ichigo flung herself onto her bed.

"He said yes!"

"Who?"

"Kashino! He said he'd be my date to the dance tonight!" Ichigo smiled brightly, hugging her pillow tightly.

"What? No way! He said yes!" Rumi jumped up from her desk and joined Ichigo in laying down on her bed. "I told you!" Ichigo looked up at her best friend, beaming.

"Thank you Rumi. I owe you one,"

"Oh my god, what if he kisses you?" Rumi squealed. Ichigo's cheeks grew red and she giggled.

"I don't know what I'd do. Kiss him back maybe?"

"Yes. That is the correct answer. No one has ever been able to break through that boy's icy personality the way you did Ichigo. You certainly are amazing." Rumi laughed and got back up, going to her closet. "Now let's pick out some outfits!"

* * *

At six o'clock, a knock sounded at the girl's door and Ichigo, who was now alone in the room, stood up to answer it. She wore a light pink dress that hung to just above her knees, done up in a halter around her neck, black ballet flats and her hair was down and flowing over her shoulders. When she opened the door, she found Kashino on the other side, in a pair of black jeans and a black tee-shirt with a beige jacket over the top. She blushed and looked at the floor.

"Uh, um... Hi?" She offered and he took her hand, her head shooting up.

"You look great," He smiled devilishly and she couldn't help but look straight into his brown orbs. She felt intoxicated.

"Um, thanks," She smiled back nervously and bit her lip.

"Let's go, shall we?" She nodded curtly in reply and they set off down the halls of the girl's dorm, going down the steps, making their way towards the school hall. As they walked, hand in hand, down the paths of the school, Ichigo noticed couples were everywhere, and even a few bystanders that were glaring at her. Was it because she was with Kashino? Shaking her head softly, Ichigo tried to secretly gaze at Kashino sidelong through her hair and when he caught her, she turned red again and fixed her eyes in front of her. He gave a short laugh but said nothing on the matter.

Finally, they reached the hall and entered. The school had really gone all out; streamers and banners hung around the walls, balloons were floating by the roof top, and it was rather dark with the strobe lights dancing around through the sea of people. Ichigo held onto Kashino's hand a little tighter as they made their way to one of the benches and Kashino sat them down, never letting go of her hand for some reason.

"I feel bad coming here and not dancing. Are you sure you can't just spare one dance for me? It's not like anyone can see us in this light," She peered over at Kashino as a blue strobe light flickered over his face. His eyes were staring straight at her, a fact she hadn't realized until a moment ago.

"Didn't you say coming here with me was enough?" He asked.

"Maybe, but would it kill you to dance for just a few minutes? I'm not exactly a dancer myself so we can struggle though it together," Ichigo suggested, pulling him up from the bench. He let out a deep sigh.

"Fine, but we are staying right here," He muttered, putting a hand on her waist. She blinked, realizing that a slow song had come on. She put her other hand on Kashino's shoulder and blushed, thankful for the darkness that concealed her rather well. Kashino, suprisingly moved quite swiftly and smoothly, guiding her around in their own little space.

"Kashino?" Ichigo said, trying not to let her voice get swept up in the noise of the music coming from the speakers.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you agree to come with me?" She asked, trying to find his eyes. It was increasingly difficult to see even his sillhouette in this light, the decorative stars plastered to the roof trying to glow as bright as they could.

"Well, why did you ask me?" He countered.

"Stop answering my questions with questions," She said. He leaned a little closer until their foreheads touched and Ichigo almost jumped.

"Do I have to show you?" He whispered. Anticipating - or rather hoping- his next move, she nodded against his forehead. His hand left her's and joined the other one as they wrapped around her waist, her hands automatically going around his neck. He leaned forward and closed the gap, or, almost. He stopped a few centimetres from her lips and she could feel his breath tickling her bottom lip.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked huskily. She sighed and dug her nails into his neck.

"Just shut up and kiss me, Makoto," She demanded, pulling him down until his lips met her's. It was so blissful, the way his lips moved against her own, the way his breathing matched her's, as if she were on cloud nine. As if they were one. He pulled away and rested his forehead against her's once again.

"I have someting to admit," He murmured.

"And that would be?" Ichigo breathed, still coming down from her high.

"That I don't hate you," She kicked his shin and he winced. "Okay, okay. I love you, alright?" She smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss.

"I know," She said, breaking away. "Because I feel the exact same."

"That was a roundabout way of saying it. Come on, I-chi-go, say it out straight." He nuzzled her neck with his nose and kissed her collar bone as she giggled. He began to tickle her sides and she erupted with laughter, gasping for him to stop as he grinned at her.

"Okay, okay!" She squealed. His hands ceased their tickling attack and grabbed her waist again, pulling her as close to him as he could. "I love you." She breathed contendedly. He smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

_Hi guys! So I reallly hope you enjoyed this, I've been sick the past few days so I've been trying to finish another one of these while I had the spare time and here you go. Sorry if it's not the best but, I'm happy with it so that's good. Please R&amp;R and I'll be posting soon. Thanks for reading._

_Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama_


	5. Chocolate And Strawberry Dreams

Our Perfect Little Bliss

_Hi guys! I'm back. After thinking, I thought that I should make a chapter where Ichigo attempts to temper chocolate to feel closer to Kashino. And, with that, I had to go online and research how to temper chocolate because, to be honest, I had no idea. So I really hope you enjoy this story and please R&amp;R, it means so much to me. Thanks guys!_

_Ichigo: SweetsPrincess-sama does not own YP_

_Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama_

* * *

Chocolate And Strawberry Dreams

Being in love with a expert chocolatier has its difficulties, but being the _girlfriend_ of an expert chocolatier has its expectations. And for Amano Ichigo, these expectations are her reality. Because her boyfriend for the last two years has been Kashino Makoto, expert chocolatier and the best in their school St. Marie Academy, Ichigo took it upon herself to learn how to temper. And it was harder than it looked. At first, the young boy had been suprised at her sudden enthusiasm to master tempering but, nevertheless, he accepted her with open arms. It wasn't like they could go on being just strawberries and chocolate seperately forever. Sometimes, things have to come together and mix. Currently, the two in question are working away into the night, tucked inside the warmth that is the St. Marie third year kitchens.

Ichigo, who was crouched beside one of the kitchen's work benches, looked at the measuring jug, making sure she had it on a flat surface and that the water had stopped swaying side to side in the jug before she made her measurements. She rested a metal saucepan onto one of the elements and filled it with approximately one inch of water. Then she grabbed a bag of chopped chocolate and filled a metal bowl three quaters of the way up, placing it on top of the saucepan and making sure that the bowl was absolutely not touching the water in the saucepan before turning the heat on low so that the water didn't boil but rather simmered. She quickly grabbed a silicone spatula and a thermometer before heading back to the slowly melting chocolate. Mixing the softening chocolate, she brought the temperate of the chocolate up to 45 degrees celsius before quickly taking the bowl off the saucepan and turning off the element. Carefully, she wiped the steam from the bottom of the bowl with a tea towel and set it on the counter, tipping out the left over water from the saucepan into the sink and leaving the saucepan itself in there with it. Turning around, she looked for her boyfriend who was working on the bench beside her.

"Makoto, can you come and taste this?" She asked, wiping her hands on her apron, beginning to wash down the saucepan before drying it off and putting it back in the cupboard. Meanwhile, Kashino made his way over to her bench and dipped his finger into the chocolate. She leaned against the counter and watched as his lip twitched. "Is there something wrong with it?" She asked quickly, retracing each step. She was fairly certain she had done it right. Kashino, being one to get to the point, simply pointed at the bowl of chocolate and said,

"Ichigo, what kind of chocolate is that?" She met his gaze with her curious eyes and shrugged.

"Dark chocolate?" She replied, unsure of what he was getting at. He nodded and then asked another question. It seemed to be his specialty.

"And what temperature was it when you took it off the heat?"

"Fourty five... Oh," She said after a moment of silence, running a hand through her hair and grabbing a fistful of it. "That's the temperature for milk chocolate, isn't it?" Suddenly realizing her mistake, she felt stupid. Sure, it was only three degrees off, but in the world of chocolate, perfect temperature was a crucial factor, one that Kashino stressed the importance of almost daily. "Uh, I made such a stupid mistake," She moaned. Feeling Kashino's hand untangling her own from her hair, she looked up. He patted down her hair once her hand was free of it and smiled softly at her.

"More like a simple mistake. You're still learning Ichigo, mistakes are inevitable." She reached up and brought his hand down, intertwining it with her's.

"But you stress the fact of the temperatures all the time," She breathed, running her thumb over his knuckles, watching their joined hands intensely rather than looking into his eyes. "I should've known," She continued. He brought his hand under her chin, lifting her head up so she had nowhere else to look, and kissed her nose.

"It's fine, we still have plenty of time for you to get it right, all the time in the world in fact," Smiling at the cute action that was only ever reserved for her, Ichigo sighed.

"I just wish I could get it right now. I mean, the steps aren't even that complicated. After all, you can somehow do it," She teased with a grin.

"Hey," He shot back, his hands going around her waist and pulling her closer, his mouth resting on her bottom lip. She giggled inside and her eyes glowed in delight. She loved it when he was affectionate. "You better watch what you say, missy,"

"Oh, so now you're calling me missy? Scary," She giggled aloud this time against his upper lip. She was about to lean in and give him a kiss when the clapping of footsteps and a voice made the couple jump apart.

"Well well well," A green haired male stood in the doorway, flanked by a male with bluey-gray hair. "What do you know, the love birds _are_ in here, Andou," Turning red, Ichigo greeted the boys.

"Uh... Hi?" She tried, giving them a small wave.

"Whatd'ya want Rose Boy?" Kashino huffed, annoyed that they had ruined the moment.

"Oh, not a lot really. Just wanted to let you know that it's nearly ten,"

"You came here to tell us what the time was? I'm pretty sure we can both read a clock," Kashino snapped back. Seemed like his fire with Hanabusa was an eternal one. Sighing, Ichigo met Andou's eyes across the room and rolled her own. Andou gave her a small smile of reassurance. Why was she surprised? It happened daily after all.

"Correction," Hanabusa interjected. "You _could_ read the clock if you could keep your hands off each other for just a teeny tiny second," What was fueling his battle spirit this late at night?

"Whatever, Rose Boy, at least I _have_ a girlfriend," Kashino retorted.

"I do too!" Hanabusa puffed.

"Really?" Kashino asked, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his index finger on his forearm. "Who?" This caused Hanabusa to stutter. Ichigo nodded to herself mentally, knowing perfectly well of the situation. After all, she'd been the one in the middle of it. A few days ago, Hanabusa had appeared at her dorm room seeking advice.

* * *

_Hearing a knock at the door, Ichigo stood from her desk and headed for the door, twisting the knob and pulling it towards her, letting the hall light appear and along with it, the person standing in front of her._

_"Hanabusa?" She said curiously, her eyebrows quirked. Whatever had caused him to drop by her dorm had to be important, he wasn't one for entering the girls dormitory often. _

_"Ichigo-chan, I need your help, or rather, your advice." He pleaded. _

_"My advice?" She repeated, her mouth slightly agape. Hanabusa, the boy who claimed to be perfect and helped her out each and everyday was asking her for advice? And to top it off, she'd never really known how to give advice. Sure, she was bubbly and talkitive, but serious advice didn't come easily to her. Here was hoping that the advice in question wasn't a matter of life or death._

_"Can I come in?" He asked, looking around the room quickly before nodding to himself once. Realizing how unfriendly she looked making her best friend stand out in the cold hallway of the girls dormitory where the heaters never seemed to function properly, Ichigo nodded hurriedly._

_"Of course," _

_Letting Hanabusa into the room, Ichigo turned the main light switch on and headed to her desk, flicking her lamp switch off so that the room was properly lit. And then she made a mental note that the next person to knock on the door would be Rumi coming back from the library. Ichigo didn't get why she couldn't just study in their room instead of the library, seeing as it was getting dark, but Rumi just shook her off, claiming that the books she needed for reference were at the library anyway so it would be a lot more efficient for her to just go there for a few hours and that she'd be back later. And Ichigo had just nodded, watching her best friend scurry out of the room._

_"So, what kind of advice do you need?" Ichigo asked warily as Hanabusa sat on Rumi's bed , gingerly sitting on the edge and then thinking better of it, slipping to the wooden floor. Ichigo, confused, sat cross legged on her own bed, watching his movements. He was very clearly worried. Looking out in the direction of the window, Hanabusa cleared his throat shakily._

_"Umm, I don't mean to sound intrusive but... How did Kashino confess to you?" This startled the girl, confusing her all the more. _

_"Uh, well, umm, is that really important?" Ichigo asked, blushing profusely. _

_"I mean, I would've gone to Kashino to ask this but he wouldn't answer and I feel that it's better to ask a girl, especially you because you're close to her...," He trailed off awkwardly. And as she did, Ichigo jumped to conclusions._

_"Wait, wait," She held her hands up defensively as Hanabusa turned his head to face her. "Are you asking me how to confess to someone?" She squealed excitedly. Hanabusa shot a finger to his mouth and shushed her. _

_"Ichigo-chan," He hissed. "You're too loud." But Ichigo continued to laugh in joy, rocking back and forth in her cross-legged state. "Ichigo-chan!" Ceasing her actions, Ichigo smiled sheepishly. _

_"Sorry," She giggled. "But you are asking me for love advice, right?" She couldn't stop the twinkle in her eyes as he nodded slowly. "So, who is it?" She asked, over-excitedly. Scratching his head, Hanabusa mumbled something under his breath. "What? I can't hear you," Ichigo sung merrily. _

_"Rumi," He whispered just a little bit louder so that she could hear him. And with that, Ichigo let out a very loud squeal. _

_"EHH! RUMI?!" She clapped her hands over her mouth and bowed her head quickly in apology. "Sorry," She mumbled through her hands. _

_"Just tell me how I'm meant to confess!' Hanabusa snapped, his cheeks red. Ichigo placed a finger to her chin, pouting her lips in thought. _

_"Well, Makoto was pretty straight forward," She said. "In his own way," She added. _

_"What do you mean?" Hanabusa asked, leaning forward a little bit, as if her answer really intrigued him. _

_"Well," Ichigo started. "He didn't straight out say he loved me or that he even liked me, but he got it across because I could tell what he meant when he said 'Stay with me forever.'," She smiled fondly at the memory. _

_"He said something that cheesy?" Hanabusa scoffed. _

_"Shut it, Rose Boy, it was sweet," Ichigo poked her tongue out, throwing a pillow at his face. He held his hands up. _

_"Sorry, sorry. Continue," He suggested, sweeping his hand in front of him as a gesture for her to continue. Smiling, Ichigo continued._

_"He was very simplistic with what he did, he just hugged me close and told me to stay with him forever. But I'm not sure that'd work with Rumi, or if you'd ever say something that sweet. No offence, just that I feel you'd say something more, y'know, flirtatious. Woo her with roses or something," Ichigo explained. "But then again," She continued, "You have to think about what Rumi would like. She's not exactly one for flirtatious advances now is she?" _

_"Ichigo-chan, you kind of confusing me," Hanabusa cut in. Ichigo giggled nervously. _

_"Ahaha, sorry," She hummed. "Anyway, I'm not so sure I can help you. You really just have to go for it, every person is different. Sorry if that's not the answer you were looking for, but that's what I truly feel." _  
_She watched Hanabusa nod slowly before standing up. _

_"Rumi should be back from the library soon right?" He asked. Ichigo's eyes widened. _

_"How did you...? You know what, never mind. Yeah, she should be back soon." Ichigo nodded. _

_"Hmm, night Ichigo-chan," _

_"Goodnight, Hanabusa." And with that, she led him out of the room and shut the door. Going back to her bed, Ichigo sat down and smiled before giggling to herself. "Hanabusa loves Rumi~ Hanabusa loves Rumi~"_

* * *

And because Hanabusa didn't answer, Kashino smirked and scoffed. "That's what I thought. You don't have the guts to ask a girl out," That did it. Hitting Kashino's shoulder, Ichigo scolded him.

"Makoto!" She hissed. "Now you're just being rude,"

"Why are you on his side?" He shot back.

"I'm not. But it takes a lot to ask out somebody, you should know that from experience!" Kashino's cheeks turned a light shade of pink and he shook his head. Taking Ichigo's hand, he dragged her towards the door.

"Andou, can you clean the bowl for me please?" Ichigo stammered before she was dragged out of the kitchens completely. Breathing in the cold air, Ichigo stumbled over one of the cobblestone squares situated along the pathway and tumbled forward into Kashino, who in turn wasn't facing her, causing her to fall into his back.

"Ow," She moaned as Kashino stopped walking and let go of her hand so that she could crouch down and inspect the scratches.

"Are you alright?" He asked, crouching down beside her. She nodded and he put his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at his face before he pulled her forward and into his chest hugging her tightly. "I'm just too rude and temperamental, aren't I?" He mumbled into her neck. She shook her head.

"Honey, you're perfect," She kissed his cheek and held his face between her hands, brushing over his cheeks with her thumbs. "But why are you asking?"

"It's nothing, you just seem so upset whenever I get into a fight with Hanabusa," He shrugged.

"Well duh. That's because I care, stupid," She smiled. 'And besides, rude and temperamental is part of the boy I fell in love with, so I don't get why you're even bothering to ask," His hand slipped up her neck and into her hair, cradling her head and guiding her smiling face forward until his lips locked hers, his other hand securely in place around her waist. She leaned into his embrace and smiled into the kiss until she was basically grinning.  
He pulled away slowly and gently and as usual, Ichigo found that his emotions were dancing in his eyes rather than his lips. His eyes were full of compassion but they held a note of mischief. He was back to his normal self.

"You okay now? Stopped freaking out about your manipulative personality?" Ichigo giggled teasingly. He poked his tongue out and helped her to her feet.

"Let's take you back to your dorm, it's pretty late," He suggested, ignoring her question with an eye roll. Nodding with a smile, she let him lead her back to the girls dormitory.

"You know, sometimes I wish that Rumi could just take my dorm and I could stay with you," Kashino thought aloud as they neared Ichigo's room. Ichigo rolled her eyes.

"Very cute, Makoto," She smiled as she reached for her door handle.

"What? No goodnight kiss?" He asked, smirking devilishly. Turning to face him, Ichigo smiled.

"But of course," She giggled, leaning forward to press her lips against his. And as she kissed him, the door opened and a sleepy Rumi appeared, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Ichigo?" She murmured. And then she dropped her hands from her eyes. "Um, well, sorry for disturbing you two," She smiled slyly. Ichigo pulled away hurriedly and blushed.

"Umm hey, Rumi," She smiled sheepishly.

'I'll be waiting," She smiled back, heading into the room. Looking back at Kashino, she gave him another small kiss and pulled back.

"Love you," She grinned, heading into the room.

"Love you," He replied, watching the door close slowly in his face. Turning around, Ichigo let go of the door handle, turned the lights off and headed for her desk, flicking on her lamp. She went over to her closet and got out her pajama pants and tee-shirt to sleep in. Pulling the curtain that divided her side from Rumi's, she got dressed and then pulled the curtain back, putting her clothes from the day into her washing basket. Before slipping into bed, Ichigo turned her lamp out and once she was in her bed, she looked over at Rumi.

"How was your night, Rumi?" She asked, propping her head on her hand.

"Alright. I suppose yours was pretty lovey-dovey as usual?" She snickered.

"Why does everyone say that?" Ichigo asked, laying back, her head hitting the pillows, her eyes trained on the white tiled roof.

"Well, duh, because it's true. You two are always together and in love. It's kind of sweet," Ichigo looked over at Rumi again and smiled, opening her mouth to say something when Rumi added quickly. "Sickeningly sweet," With a laugh. Ichigo poked her tongue out.

"Meanie," She murmured. Rumi laughed again and smiled.

"Goodnight Ichigo," She whispered, rolling over to lay on her side.

"Goodnight Rumi,"

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo was up at five and in the kitchen, practising her tempering. Bringing her chocolate off the heat, she dipped her finger in and tasted it. It was starting to taste like Kashino's but she knew it could never be the same. Everything a patisserie made was going to be different from another patisserie's, no matter how in sync their feelings were. Smiling at her creation, she heard the door crack open and her head shot up. Watching the back of a blonde boy as he closed the door, her smile became wider.

"Makoto~," She hummed. He turned in surprise and watched her with wide eyes.

"You actually came here this early? To temper?" He marveled at how far she'd come. Usually, he would've had to storm into her room twenty minutes before class was due to start and yell at her to wake her. But here she was standing before him and god knows how long she'd been there before he arrived. Ichigo smiled in delight.

"You seem shocked," She gestured towards herself.

"Well duh. That's because I always have to scream at you to get up but today you got up before me," He walked up to her and kissed her cheek.

"You're serious about mastering tempering, aren't you?" She gave a short nod. "Why is that?" He asked, leaning back against her bench, arms folded across his chest, a questioning look crossing his features. Ichigo scratched her head.

"Well, about that," She mumbled.

"Spit it out," He murmured.

"Well... Since I'm your girlfriend... Um, people seem to always ask me why I can't temper if I've been dating you for so long. So I got to thinking that maybe it would be nice if I could do what you love," She watched him through her lashes as he gave a laugh.

"Are you saying you were pressured into it?" He asked and Ichigo quickly raised her hands and started shaking them back and forth.

"No, no. Of course not! I just wanted to be good at something that you love." She mumbled.

"But you are good at something I love," He pointed out and she blinked.

"What?"

"Being Ichigo." She gave a little laugh.

"That's so sweet," She cooed, resting her forehead against his.

"Well, I can't always be bitter now can I?" His eyebrows raised and she smiled, leaning forward to press her lips against his.

"You _are_ cute when you're affectionate, so I guess it can't be helped." She laughed.

"And just remember, you're the only one who ever gets to see this side of me, so don't take it for granted,"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Taking his hand she said, "But now you have to learn to bake with my favourite ingredient; strawberries."

Dragging him towards the fridge, she thought. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she couldn't master what he could. After all, strawberries always compliment chocolate no matter what. And that's why they were so perfect together. Together forever, in a faded chocolate and strawberry flavoured dream.


	6. Baby Bump

Our Perfect Little Bliss

Baby Bump

She didn't really know what to say. It had all happened so fast; she'd just been married to the love of her life, and now_ this_. It seemed unbelievable. Amazing, but unbelievable. Now, Ichigo wasn't one to keep secrets, or rather, she had never really comprehended _how_ to, but this she _couldn't_ put into words. She racked her brain for anything, anything that sounded right, but nothing came. Exiting the bathroom, she closed the door gently and tip-toed down the hallway, creeping down the stairs so as not to wake her newly-wed husband. She made her way into the kitchen and sighed, opening the fridge. After bickering with herself over what to make, she made a chocolate chaud and sat herself down on the sofa, knees tucked under her chin, the steaming cup of chocolate chaud encompassed within her hands. Staring blankly at the television that was humming softly, Ichigo ran her finger around the rim of her mug and blinked. She wasn't really too sure of how to feel. Of course she was insanely over-joyed to the point where she thought she couldn't possibly be happier, but for some reason, that feeling wasn't showing through her features. It was almost as if she was scared. Scared to tell Kashino. And admittedly, she was. She set her drink on the coffee table just as she heard a tired yawn and the sound of padding footsteps coming down the stairs. She sat still, unsure of how to act.

"Ichigo?" Kashino yawned again, descending down the last step and onto the cold wooden floor that separated the lounge from the white linoleum of the kitchen. She nodded slowly without turning around. Why was she so afraid? They had talked about having kids plenty of times and Kashino had always blushed and said he wanted one so why was she so hesitant to tell him?

"Hi honey," She said softly as he came to sit beside her on the sofa, looking at her cup of chocolate chaud on the coffee table.

"Are you drinking that?" He asked, picking it up and taking a sip. Ichigo giggled.

"Obviously not anymore," She smiled. This was nice, maybe she could just wait a little while, calm herself down before she told him. Inwardly, she nodded, agreeing with her own plan. He looked up at her and held out the drink.

"Sorry, I was kind of drawn to it. It's yours if you want it," He offered. But she raised her hand and shook it.

"No, it's fine, you have it. I don't think I would've drunk it anyway," She replied, watching him nod and take another sip. He sighed in content and closed his eyes.

"When on earth did you get so good at making these? I think you might've even surprassed me, and I was the one who taught you!" He smiled fondly at the cup in front of him and then met his gaze with her's. She shrugged.

"I guess I just learnt from the best," She said, taking the cup out of his hands and washing down the last of it. "Mmm, you're right, this is good."

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't want that," He said, watching as she stood up and winked.

"Yeah, well, I lied," She giggled, making her way towards the kitchen. She padded over the linoleum and turned the faucet in the kitchen sink on, watching the cold water burst from the tap as she rinsed her mug and set it aside while she turned the faucet back off. Sliding the tea towel off the oven door handle, she dried her mug and set it back in the cupboard and then put the tea towel back in its rightful place. Nodding to herself, Ichigo walked back over to the couch and sat back down beside her husband who was flicking through the tv channels. As he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close, he settled on a cooking channel and put the remote back down on the arm of the sofa. Kashino kissed her hair and she smiled.

"What do you wanna do today?" He asked, staring at her. She was still in her pajamas; a pink singlet and white pajama bottoms with little printed stawberries scattered everywhere. Although, in her defence, he wasn't doing much better. He was still wearing what he had slept in; a pair of black boxers and a plain black tee-shirt.

"Hmm," Ichigo murmured, tracing patterns across his chest. "I'm not really sure. We do have to go to the supermarket though," And then something clicked in Kashino's head.

"Ah!" He exclaimed and Ichigo raised her head to meet his eyes.

"What?" She asked, watching a small smile grow across his face.

"It's Andou's birthday today," He explained. "Should we stop by Yume Tsuki?" Ichigo perked up at hearing this. She absolutely loved Yume Tsuki.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!" She squealed. Kashino let out a laugh.

"You're such a child, Ichigo," She stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're excited too!" She protested. "Oh," She murmured, thinking hard. "But we haven't got him a present," Kashino scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

"Isn't remembering and turning up enough?" He suggested. But Ichigo shook her head furiously.

"No way! We have to get him a gift," She stood up hurriedly and pulled him up with her. "Now let's go get dressed, we have a birthday to crash!"

"Now, when you put it that way, it sounds bad," Kashino said, letting her drag him upstairs and into their bedroom.

"Oh shut up will you? Just enjoy it!" And with that remark, she let go of his arm and pranced off to her closet.

"Makoto, what should we get Andou-kun?" Ichigo asked, slipping her singlet over her head. Blushing lightly and turning to his closet, Kashino replied with a smile.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out,"

* * *

An hour and a half later and the couple were pulling up outside Yume Tsuki. Hopping out of the passenger side door, Ichigo made her way around the car to Kashino's side and looped her arm through his, smiling brightly, holding a wrapped box in her free hand. Making their way up to the front door of the shop, Kashino slid the glass door open and they stepped inside. The fresh aroma of japanese sweets hit them in a strong blast along with the feeling of homeliness with the warmth and chatter of the happy customers. They walked into the back of the shop and smiled at Andou's grandfather who was busy working in the kitchen.

"Hey you two, Andou's in the back," He nodded at the couple and Ichigo smiled.

"Thanks, gramps," She grinned, tugging at Kashino's arm and taking him futher into Yume Tsuki. When they rounded the corner, they found Ichida stalking towards them. "Hi Ichida-kun," Ichigo smiled. He looked up in surprise.

"Hi, Ichigo, Kashino, Sen-nii is in the garden." He explained, continuing into the kitchen. So the two made their way out into the garden at the very back of the shop and finally their eyes landed upon Andou.

"Andou-kun!" Ichigo called as they walked towards him. He turned his head and smiled at them as they sat beside him on the grass, Ichigo reaching her hands out excitedly to give him his gift. "Happy birthday," She grinned. Andou took the present out of her hands and smiled.

"Thank you Ma-kun, Ama- I mean, Ichigo-san," He laughed quietly at his mistake and so did the couple.

"It is kind of weird hearing you say Ichigo-san instead of Amano-san, but, I guess that can't be helped," Ichigo hummed, smiling up at Kashino. "After all, I am legally a Kashino now," Kashino rolled his eyes but smiled back regardless, poking her forehead.

"This is Andou's day, not yours, Ichigo," He reminded her and she giggled sheepishly, turning back to Andou.

"Ahaha, sorry Andou," She smiled. Andou shook his head and laughed.

"It's okay, I'm used to you two already," He said, beginning to tear off the wrapping paper. Now, Kashino had been very insistent on this gift, telling Ichigo over and over again that it was an inside joke and when she protested that she should be able to get him a gift too, they'd ended up getting two separate things. The first thing Andou saw was Kashino's gift.

"Oh my lord," Andou let out a long laugh as he picked up the plastic box. Inside there was a kids robot, something that seemed a little odd to Ichigo but the two friends seemed to get it. Andou smiled across at Kashino. "I can't believe you still have this after all this time, and it's still in its plastic box too!"

"I don't get it," Ichigo cut in. The two boys looked at her and Andou smiled.

"This was a gift Ma-kun got from his sister when we were really young. I was always jealous of it back then and always used to moan that I wanted it but he never gave in. He kept it in his cupboard so I never saw what was so bad in him giving it to me but he still always said no. That was about fifteen years ago, I'm surprised you still had it." Andou explained as Ichigo nodded.

"See, Ichigo. I told you he'd like it," Kashino rolled his eyes again as his wife poked her tongue out at him. "Such a child," He mumbled under his breath. She hit his thigh.

"I heard you you know," Then she turned back to Andou as he took out her present. His eyes widened and he let out a small gasp. "I know it's not really something for you but I know you wanted to buy it for Kana so I sort of bought it for you," She smiled nervously. "I hope that's okay." Andou looked up at her, holding the ring box. Earlier that month, he'd dragged Ichigo out to go ring hunting for Kana with him and he'd been eagerly looking at that one ring, except he couldn't afford it at the time so he'd been having to put off the proposal until he had enough money to buy it.

"Ichigo-san, I.. I can't accept this," He began handing it back to her but she glared at him firmly.

"You're taking it or I'm dropping it down a drain," She warned and with that he slowly took it out of her reach. He nodded.

"Thank you so much," He smiled. Ichigo grinned.

"Of course. Nothing's too good for our best friend, right Makoto?" Kashino simply nodded in reply and looked at his watch.

"I wish we could stay longer but we have to go get the groceries," He proclaimed, standing up and offering his hand to Ichigo. She took it sulkily and he pulled her up.

"Can't we stay longer? I mean, we have to, we haven't even had any cake yet!" She exclaimed and Kashino let out a small laugh.

"Glutton," Her cheeks went red.

"I am not!" He smirked and let go of her hand, giving Andou a weird manly hug once he had stood and then Ichigo gave him a hug too. But in a more excited manner than her husband had. "I'm really sorry we couldn't stay longer, Andou-kun. Good luck with Kana," She smiled and kissed his cheek. "And happy birthday, again," Smiling, she gave a wave as Kashino took her hand and led her back towards the shop.

"Bye guys, thanks for dropping by," Andou called.

"Bye Andou-kun,"

"Bye Andou."

* * *

Opening the door, Ichigo hauled the full shopping bags inside and held the door open for Kashino who was handling the other bags.

"Thanks," He nodded to her with a smile as she shut the door with her hip and followed him into the kitchen. They set their grocery bags down and Ichigo began sifting through them.

"I'll handle the cupboards, you handle the fridge and freezer?" She suggested, taking a bar of chocolate out of one of the bags and tearing the wrapper, taking a bite off the corner. He smiled and took a few steps forward, bending down to bite off his own piece of chocolate, his nose brushing her's. She swallowed her chocolate and pouted.

"Hey, that's mine," She protested, but he cut her off, placing his lips over her's.

"Whatever happened to 'sharing is caring'?" He teased, leaning past her to get the milk out of the bag. He winked and made his way to the fridge, placing the milk in the shelf connected to the inside of the door. Ichigo bit her lip. He seemed happy right now, but would it be too soon to tell him? She didn't know, so she just carried on putting the groceries into the cupboard, watching his face every now and again. Once she was finished with her half of the groceries, she stalked over to the couch, feeling a little upset. Maybe she should just come right out and say it... So that was what she was going to do.

"Hey, Makoto?" She spoke, catching his attention from where he stood drinking a beer in the kitchen. "Can you... Can you come here a second?"

"Sure," He replied, coming to sit beside her, resting his beer bottle on the glass coffee table. He watched her and his eyebrows creased. "You okay?" He asked as tears started pooling in her eyes. Why was she so emotional? She hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him, burying her face into his chest. Automatically, his arms came around her and he rubbed little circles on her back. "Ichigo?" Squeezing him to her a little harder, she whispered.

"I'm pregnant." It seemed so final, something that brought silence upon the couple. She cried into his shoulder as she waited for his response and when he pulled her back slowly and kissed her tears, her eyes widened. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek and feathered his thumb over it, bringing his forehead to rest against her's.

"Thank you," Was all he said. Through her tears, Ichigo blinked.

"I...I don't get it," She whispered, her voice cracking.

"I know it must've been hard to tell me, so thank you,"

"You're... You're not..Mad?" She asked quietly. He shook his head.

"Not at all," He let out a breath. "You're pregnant," He murmured, as if testing out the words. And then he smiled. "And that's amazing," With a smile, Ichigo let out a little whimper.

"I don't know why I was scared to tell you," She shook her head against his. "I'm sorry, that was dumb of me," And he shook his head back at her.

"No, it's okay. I can only imagine what it would be like to tell someone. I thought you were acting up a little today but I wanted to wait until you were ready to tell me," He gave her a gentle kiss and smiled. "And I'm glad you did,"

"I love you," She smiled back, wiping her tears.

"I love you too,"

* * *

_Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Our Perfect Little Bliss and I'll be sure to update ASAP. Thanks a bunch._

Xx SweetsPrincess-Sama


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